Help Me Help You
by here-not-there
Summary: You've got to help me help you, Hotch. You're not alone in this." Set right after where 'Haunted' left off. HP


**This is my first Criminal Minds FanFic. I was so touched by the last scene in 'Haunted' but I thought that there was something missing to it. My muse was nagging me to write it down so here it is! :D Please enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds nor it's characters...  
**

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Emily Prentiss fought back the tears that were threatening to come out. She was usually a strong woman but what Hotch just said just cracked her shell.

It hurt to see him slowly break down in front of her. It didn't take a profiler to see that he was already giving up. Even if he didn't see it yet.

Without realizing what she was doing, Emily turned on her heels and was back in front of Hotch's door in record's time.

She gently knocked on the door once.

It flew open just when she was about to knock harder.

"Emily?" Hotch asked, slightly shocked to see the woman standing in his doorway.

"We need to talk." Emily simply said, staring into Hotch's eyes. She wasn't going to walk away again.

He didn't say anything but opened the door wider to let the dark-haired profiler in.

Once he closed the door behind her, Emily turned around and looked straight into his eyes.

"You got to cut this crap, Hotch."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Hotch replied dryly. He didn't want to face her now. Not right after what happened earlier today.

"You're perfectly aware what I'm talking about, Aaron," Emily rebutted, refusing to back down again. Someone needed to do this and it might as well be her, "You've been moping around ever since the incident. Look, I understand if you're angry and you need the time to cope, but giving up isn't the solution."

Emily was fairly aware that she was erasing the thin line between breaking down and losing it. But she hated to see the man she grew to love over the years fall apart in front of her eyes.

"I'm not giving up, Emily," Hotch said through clenched teeth. He waved his hand over the file-filled living, "Does this look like I'm giving up?"

"Then what about what happened today? You went in unarmed and didn't even have a vest. You stood right in the sniper's line. Don't say you didn't know where they were because you damn well know they're always aiming through windows!"

"There was a little boy in there! What did you want me to do? Just stand there and do nothing? That's what I did before and look what's happening to Jack!"

Emily could hear the crack in his voice. She couldn't blame him, that little buy was everything to him.

"You didn't do nothing, Hotch. You're sending him to somewhere safe. You're protecting him," Emily said gently but firmly while taking a step closer, "You've got to help me help you. Aaron, you're not alone in this. The team is here for you. Morgan's worried sick, Garcia's terrified that you'll lose it, JJ and Rossi don't know how much longer you can hold on and Reid is just lost."

Hotch held Emily's gaze before quickly shifting away. The contact was brief, but Emily saw something flicker through his eyes.

She instinctively took a step closer to him till they were merely a few inches away.

Emily took a deep breath.

"You can't see it, Hotch, but you're falling apart. I'm right here and I'm not going to give up on you. You've already pushed everyone away for the past month but you've at least allowed me a glimpse. I want to have more than that. I want to be here for you. You can push me away, but I'll keep coming back. Even if it means losing my job."

Emily watched Hotch's frame. She knew him too well. He was letting down his Alpha male armor and revealing the side that anyone rarely saw.

Without thinking, she closed the space left between them and slipped her arms around his waist.

She let out a breath of relief when she felt him embrace her in his trembling arms. He rested his cheek on Emily's hair, taking in her scent. He felt a sudden wave of calmness woosh over him.

She rested her head on his broad chest, silently listening to his heartbeat. It sounded so calm, so peaceful, so…contradicted.

"Why?" Hotch whispered, barely audible if Emily hadn't heard the rumble from his chest.

She tightened her arms around his waist, "Because the team needs you. Because I need you."

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**Please please review? Thank you sooo much! :D**


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